Development and Evaluation of Patient Education Materials

It has often been thought that clients do not follow through with medical recommendations because they do not have the motivation. It may not be a question of motivation but rather a question of comprehension. The material may be too difficult to read thus leading to poor comprehension. Health care professionals have attempted to address the issue of readability and comprehension by examining the readability level of written patient education materials. Readability formulas evaluate level of readability only and do not evaluate level of comprehension. The formulas are examining only one factor in the evaluation of materials. Multiple factors need to be considered in the development and evaluation of written patient education materials. This essay addresses these multiple factors and provides guidelines for the development and evaluation of written patient education materials